The Train To Crazy

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, Happy New Year, Happy Holidays!

Dear friends, I hope you have a wonderful end of the year celebrating with your friends and family. I'll be taking a short time away from the blog and computer so we won't have Make It Wear It this week or next. See you in the New Year!

Circle Pocket Dress or Shirt Tutorial

I found a top on Pinterest a while back that caught my eye. A large circle pocket on the front of a shirt. So easy and fun. I made these tops for my girls months ago and they always get compliments. Here's the tutorial for you!

I love sewing simple, quick dresses. And I especially love to sew with knit fabrics. They are comfortable and cute and I find my girls prefer them to other dresses. If you've never sewn with knits, take a deep breath. It isn't as scary as it seems. And no, you don't need a serger. It is completely possible to sew knit with your regular sewing machine. If you have a zig zag stitch, or better yet, a "knit stitch" then you'll be able to sew this project just fine. Of course, you don't have to do this in knit but I like the way it looks.

For this dress, find an existing dress and create your own pattern, use my free Go To Dress pattern, a peasant shirt pattern, or any favorite pattern of yours. This is a simple, easy way to switch up a favorite pattern and create something new and unique.

You can crop it and make a cute shirt as well.
This tutorial is very simple. First find a round bowl just slightly larger than you would like the pocket.

• Trace a circle onto freezer paper.
• Iron the circle onto your fabric and cut 2 circles.
• Sew circles, right sides together, leaving a 2" opening. 
• Turn circle right side out. Iron flat.
• Pin your circle to the front panel of your dress BEFORE you sew your dress together.
• Sew the circle on the dress as the diagram below shows sewing as close to the edge as possible. Ensure your 2" opening is now sewn closed.

**When working with knits you may find it helpful to use a stabilizer. I used a tear away stabilizer when I sewed the two circles together. Before turning the circle right side out I carefully cut out the center of the stabilizer leaving 1/4" of stabilizer along the inner edge. This will help when stitching the circle pocket to the dress by preventing odd puckering and gathering.**
Now sew your dress together! There you have it! A simple way to reuse a pattern you love and make it unique.
Thanks for having me Shanna! I'm loving this series and can't wait to see the rest of the projects!

 

DIY Leather Wallet Tutorial

Ever wanted to sew a wallet? Need a gift for a guy in your life? Sewing this leather wallet is easy! Check out my easy tutorial!

This simple leather wallet is great for the back pocket. Slim so it doesn't wear out pockets and easy to access money. You may omit the "money clip" elastic and store the money in the middle pocket if that suits your style.

Gather Supplies:

• leather (I bought an old leather purse at a thrift shop)
• clear vinyl
• leather sewing machine needles
• upholstry thread
• 1/2" wide elastic to match your leather

 Sewing with leather can be scary but you may find it isn't as you thought! A few tips:

1. Use the correct needle and thread
2. Go slow
3. Do not start right on the edge of your leather
4. Use a scrap piece of leather to check your tension

Cut leather:

• 3" x 4.5" (cut 2)
• 3" x 3.75" (cut 2)
• 3" x 3" (cut 1)

Cut vinyl:

• 3" x 3" (cut 1)

Cut a "window" out of one piece of 3' x 3.75" piece of leather. I use an exacto knife for precision.

Line the vinyl up behind the window and sew the top together. You may also use an appropriate glue if you'd rather to attach the vinyl to the leather.

Cut slits for the elastic. Line the elastic up near the top of the 3" x 3" piece of leather. Cut a slit about 1/4" inside the leather on each side. The slit should be just as wide as the leather.
Tuck the elastic into the leather as above.

Stack your wallet together. The window piece should be on top of one of the largest pieces. This will make one side of your wallet.

The elastic piece should go on top of the mid sized piece and then on top of the other largest piece. This will be the opposite side of the wallet.

Line your pieces up so the edges are straight. You can't use pins so I used binder clips. Sew the sides and bottom of the wallet. Do not sew the top! 

You're done! Now fill that wallet or give it as a gift! 

Have you worked with leather before? It's not as scary as you might think!

Make It Wear It Thursday

Happy Thursday!! So glad you could stop by to get inspiration from some fabulous bloggers. Please check out a few links and leave your own if you have a post about something you made that can be worn. We'd love to see it!

 

Heart & Felt: my girls amaze me

I don't put a lot of family stuff on this blog (okay, okay, except yesterday's vacation photos) but I can't help share this. My girls have started a new website to sell their handmade felt ornaments. They are raising money to buy a house for an orphan family through World Vision. Please check out Heart & Felt!

I'm THRILLED that EMJ Design has offered to donate 100% of all profits for the month of December to Heart & Felt. WHAT?!? Who does that?? Thank you! Thank you! Go check out EMJ Design immediately! 

Making last minute gifts?

How about these cute coasters? Pattern here.

This fabric is perfect for those coasters and it's on SALE!!

Fabric gift boxes? Cute right?? 

Or the Art Tote to beat all art totes. 

Now imagine this tote in this fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabric. YES!

Still need to make a Christmas dress?? This Colette Dress by Petite Kids is perfect!

Perhaps the Lola Skirt is just what you've been looking for??

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Busy, busy, busy

Ho ho ho! I'm busy busy busy but here are some fun photos from our family reunion in Mexico last week. It was a blast and so fun to see family that we live so far away from!

There was lots of swimming.

And tons of walking on the beach.

Sand, sand, everywhere

And tears too.

And lots of laughs with family.

There was even some burying going on.

And jumping contests.

Silly faces!

cousin squeezes

Bird holding

Dolphin riding

Dolphin jumping!

And ornament making (more on that very soon)

And now it is time to prepare for Christmas. I'm making all the kids' presents this year so I should probably get off the computer and back to the sewing machine!

Are you making any gifts this year?

Make It Wear It Thursday

Happy Thursday!! So glad you could stop by to get inspiration from some fabulous bloggers. Please check out a few links and leave your own if you have a post about something you made that can be worn. We'd love to see it!

Tutorial: Travel Toothbrush Holder

Browsing Pinterest last week I saw something that was so simple it was brilliant. A travel toothbrush holder made from a wash cloth. It was great, but not exactly what I need. My problem is electric toothbrushes are hard to pack. They are big and bulky.

Most commercial options aren't adequate. I hate those plastic cases that go around the bristles. They get nasty and they are hard to clean. That's how this "On The Go" toothbrush holder was born. 

Want to know how to pack 4 toothbrushes? Here's the full travel toothbrush holder tutorial. In all of it's simple glory. Now you can sew a toothbrush case for yourself in about 10 minutes!

Supplies:

• 2 wash cloths
• ribbon

Sew the ribbon about 2/3 of the way up the wash cloth. Center it so there is enough ribbon hanging off each end to tie a bow.

Turn that wash cloth over so the ribbon is facing down. 

Fold the second wash cloth so it is the length of your toothbrush and place it on top of the first wash cloth. Pin.

Sew 3 verticle lines to make seperate compartments for each toothbrush.

Fold the 1st wash cloth down over the 2nd. Pin the sides. Sew along both sides and bottom. 

Fill with toothbrushes.

There you have it! Your very own, throw in the washing machine, toothbrush holder.

How do you pack your toothbrushes?